MANILA, Philippines—Forced to play without star import George King at the last minute, Blackwater turned to its all-Filipino crew to get the job done.

Fortunately, Blackwater had a plethora of veterans to call upon as the next man up.

Article continues after this advertisement

This time, coach Jeff Cariaso picked veteran guard Jvee Casio and he delivered the goods in the squad’s 100-92 win over the Fuel Masters to keep a flickering playoff bid alive in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.

READ: PBA: Playing sans import, Blackwater beats Phoenix to stay alive

“Jvee carried us. He was our lead tonight. He’s the veteran that we need each and every night. Tonight, he stepped up not just with his leadership outside the court but also inside. You have to give him credit,” said Cariaso.

Article continues after this advertisement

“In an import conference, it’s always harder when you don’t have an import. We didn’t know until 30 minutes before the game that he wasn’t going to play and that was already a sting to us.”

King was ruled out of Tuesday’s clash with a hurt foot that he sustained in the Bossing’s last game, where they lost to Converge, 127-109.

READ: PBA: JVee Casio embracing new challenges at Blackwater

That’s where Casio’s contributions served vital as he dropped 14 points, five assists and two steals in 31 tiresome minutes—a number far from his usual conference average, exposure-wise.

As a 14-year veteran in the league, Casio is already well aware of his limited minutes for Blackwater.

So when he was called for double duty in Antipolo with the squad’s absent import, the 38-year-old did what he did best.

“I am ready whenever my number’s called. That’s my job. this time, I had minutes and took that opportunity,” said Casio in Filipino.

Blackwater aims to end its high-low conference on a high note with Casio leading the way on Saturday at the same venue against Northport.